Small infantry units used to rely on heavy artillery or air support when they ran into armored threats. If those assets weren't available, they were stuck. Today, a single soldier can carry a precision missile in a backpack.
The battlefield evolves quickly, and military tech has to move even faster to keep up. Teledyne FLIR Defense just showed how this happens by rolling out the Rogue 1 Block 2 at SOF Week in Tampa. This is a major overhaul of their vertical takeoff and landing loitering munition. They took feedback from two years of real-world testing with the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command to fix the limitations of the first generation.
It isn't just a minor software patch. The upgrade fundamentally changes how far these systems can fly, what they can destroy, and how they handle electronic warfare.
Pushing past the ten kilometer limit
The biggest issue with small kamikaze drones has always been their range. If you can only fly a few miles, you have to get dangerously close to the enemy line to launch. The original Rogue 1 topped out at a combat radius of roughly 10 kilometers (6 miles).
The Block 2 changes that entirely.
Teledyne FLIR doubled the operating range to more than 20 kilometers (12 miles). To get this extra distance without making the drone too heavy for a backpack, engineers had to redesign the core hardware. They didn't just stuff a bigger battery inside. Instead, they used advanced battery cell technology that provides 20% more endurance while maintaining a manageable footprint.
The company also redesigned the propellers. The new blades optimize aerodynamic efficiency during long-range transit flights, yet they still let the drone perform high-speed, aggressive dive maneuvers when it locks onto a target.
Punching through heavy armor
Range doesn't mean much if the drone bounces off the target. The original version carried payloads meant for soft-skinned vehicles or infantry groups, using explosively formed penetrators and directional blast-fragmentation warheads.
The Block 2 introduces a new anti-armor option built around shape charge jet technology.
A shaped charge focuses explosive energy into a high-velocity liquid metal stream upon impact. This stream burns through thick, hardened steel armor plates. By adding this payload, a single soldier can now take out main battle tanks or heavy armored personnel carriers from 12 miles away.
One of the best design choices of the Rogue 1 platform remains intact here: the mechanical interrupt fuzing system. Most loitering munitions are single-use; if you launch them and the target moves or disappears, you have to crash the drone into the dirt to detonate it safely. The Rogue 1 allows operators to disarm the warhead mid-air, recall the drone, and land it safely for future use. The Block 2 adds a track landing feature to make this recovery process even smoother.
Winning the electronic warfare battle
Modern conflicts in places like Ukraine show that the sky is a hostile environment for radio signals. Russian and Ukrainian forces jam GPS frequencies constantly. A drone that relies solely on satellite navigation becomes useless paper the second it hits a contested zone.
The Block 2 upgrade addresses this with improved GPS-denied navigation.
Instead of blinding out when GPS signals drop, the drone blends visual data from daylight and thermal cameras to map the terrain below. It compares what it sees against onboard data to figure out where it is.
To prevent adversaries from jamming the command link between the operator and the drone, Teledyne FLIR integrated dual-band radio support. This hardware twist makes the system far more resilient against electronic warfare. If the enemy jams one frequency, the system can pivot to ensure the operator doesn't lose the live video feed.
The drone also features upgraded onboard computing. More processing power allows the drone to handle advanced autonomy functions by itself, which lowers the cognitive strain on the operator. When bullets are flying, a soldier needs to focus on survival, not micro-managing a flight controller. The control system itself shifted to an Android-based ground control platform, which mirrors the tactical software military units already use on the battlefield.
From testing to the frontline
Teledyne FLIR didn't build these upgrades in a vacuum. The changes reflect two years of feedback from the U.S. Marine Corps Organic Precision Fires-Light (OPF-L) program and SOCOM Ground Organic Precision Strike Systems (GOPSS).
The military bought these systems to evaluate them, found the weak points, and told the manufacturer what they needed to win a near-peer conflict. The answer was clear: more distance, better armor penetration, and better signal protection.
The military is buying these units in quantity. Following initial evaluations, Teledyne FLIR secured a contract in late 2025 to deliver more than 600 additional drones to the Marines. The Block 2 version is available for order immediately, and the company plans to start shipping the upgraded hardware to units in the third quarter of 2026.
For the infantry squad on the ground, this means a massive jump in capability is coming soon. They're getting a tool that turns a single dismounted soldier into a long-range tank killer that can operate even when the local radio spectrum is completely jammed.
To prepare for this shift in small-unit tactics, defense planners and procurement officers need to evaluate how dual-band communications and shape charge payloads alter their current operational doctrine. Squads should update their training schedules to integrate Android-based ground control systems before the first Block 2 deliveries arrive later this year.
